SERIE A MATCH REPORT

Fiorentina twice fought back in Turin to pick up a precious point with Mounir El Hamdaoui, but lost two stars to injury.

The Viola have been a revelation this season and were sitting pretty in third place after five wins on the bounce. David Pizarro sat out a ban with StevanJovetic and Michele Camporese still sidelined, so Ruben Olivera took over in midfield and Mati Fernandez surprisingly partnered Luca Toni. Toro were still smarting from their defeat to Roma on Monday night and had to do without Marko Bakic, Sergio Suciu and Giuseppe Vives. It was a special game for AlessioCerci, who is on loan with the Granata from Fiorentina.

The Tuscans had won each of their last three visits to Turin, not losing a Serie A fixture here since 2001-02.

Alberto Aquilani’s looping header landed on the roof of the net, but Juan Cuadrado went for goal rather than set up his teammates after skipping past D’Ambrosio.

There was a nasty clash of heads between Luca Toni and KamilGlik on a corner, the Toro defender coming off considerably worse as he appeared to briefly lose consciousness. Glik was stretchered off and substituted, but was conscious when leaving the field and later had two stitches.

Rolando Bianchi’s free kick was bravely charged down, but bad news for Fiorentina who lost Aquilani to another new muscular injury.

Torino took the lead before half-time with ex-Viola man Cerci. The D’Ambrosio cross was allowed all the way across the face of goal to find Cerci at the back post and his finish under the bar went in despite Emiliano Viviano getting a hand to it.

The Viola were forced into another substitution moments later, as Toni was still feeling the effects of that clash of heads and made way for Haris Seferovic. Toni was taken to hospital for tests. Mati Fernandez had the chance to draw level with a great take, but was off balance and could only scuff wide from close range.

In stoppages Viviano needed a fine save at full stretch to deny Mario Alberto Santana after Gonzalo Rodriguez was robbed in midfield.

Cerci was a constant thorn in Fiorentina’s side and stung Viviano’s palms with a curling left-foot shot, while Rodriguez nodded just wide from a corner.

Seferovic went extremely close to an equaliser on 63 minutes, but could only prod on to the base of the near post from a very tight angle on Manuel Pasqual’s cross.

The Viola were pouring forward and had numerous chances with Jean-Francois Gillet parrying an Adem Ljajic effort, then Pasqual failing to get the follow-up into the net. Borja Valero mis-kicked from a deflected set piece.

The referee pointed to the spot when D’Ambrosio tripped Cuadrado at the end of a series of step-overs. It was Gonzalo Rodriguez who took the responsibility and he coolly converted by sending Gillet the wrong way.

However, the lead lasted only a couple of minutes when Valter Birsa’s cross from the right went all the way through, as Stevanovic missed his attempt at a volley and put off Viviano.

Fiorentina got it back on level terms again with substitute Mounir El Hamdaoui, who gathered a Cuadrado through ball from the right and smashed an angled drive across Gillet into the far bottom corner.

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